Who are you?
by Miss. Hyper Active Number 1
Summary: A trip to a lost tomb gives rise to an ancient evil, and to an even more complicated dilemma, the matters of the heart.


**Chapter I **

Maka's P.O.V.

The cracked ground was littered with gangly, poisonous vines. Their leaves, if that's what you can call them, had an odd, jagged hexagonal shape. The leaves eccentricity was highlighted further by their repugnant odor, and dirty black color. Honestly, the smell was the worst. It was a disgusting combo of vomit, and human waste. How did such atrocities decorate an architect as majestic as the one I am raiding is beyond me; the temple was beyond beautiful. It stood tall at 50 feet with ancient inscriptions imprinted on it .The lush, towering trees with enormous roots, and hulking branches encased it in their potentially lethal embrace. Even more, the floor was practically submerged in thousands of flowers. They looked so dainty: tiny in stature, a snowy white at the centre with an aqua blue color that flowed out until the tips. Even the stems were pretty: delicate, slender, and greener than emeralds; however, the fragrance topped everything. A heady blend of jasmine, and rose. The scent was quite strong, though. I covered my pert nose with a fingerless glove in order to keep myself from inhaling the aroma any further I would have passed out if I didn't. I shuffled along, jumping over the roots and deeper cracks, until I reached the entrance of the temple. There were no doors, just an ancient hallway shaped like an arch. The interior was lavishly adorned with semi-precious jewels, while the walls looked like they were composed of pure opal. It seemed quite smooth to the touch. Straitening my back, I marched right into deceptively safe looking structure. Speaking from experience, no ancient ruin was ever truly safe to walk around in. It wasn't just because of the age, but also the fact that there were plenty of traps, hidden ones. I couldn't afford to slack off either. Soul needed to be saved. No way in hell was I leaving my partner to wither off. I loved him. He would have done the same for me if I was in his place instead. I kept my eyes peeled as I prudently made my way through the corridor. The walls had inscriptions too. It looked like a mix of hieroglyphics, and ancient Greek. This was definitely not human. After walking straight down the hallway for ten minutes, the light started to slowly fade away darkening my vision, and path. Thinking fast, I fished out a flashlight out of my pitch black backpack, and just to be cautious, I pulled out a pistol from my thigh holster. The flashlight illuminated the way that was up ahead, and by God what a mangled path it was. Extremely deep fissures ran along the walls in a diagonal direction, the inscriptions on them lost for all eternity. Even more, the floor was spilt into two! A deep, twenty foot wide, gap separated the two platforms. Taking a deep breath, I put the pistol back into the holster, and pulled out a grapple hook from its resting place which was located on my belt. I turned off the flashlight, and compressed it to a mere, rectangular shaped, portable light source. You can't deny Dr. Stein's ingenuity when it comes to gadgets. I took precise aim, and fired the hook at the opposite wall. The hook rammed into the wall, and clutched a handhold with a resounding "click". Grinning, I started sprinting, and when I was just at the edge I jumped. The tether swung me across the yawning gap, and onto the intentioned platform. I landed with a barely audible "thud". Rapidly, I detangled the tether, and retracted it back into the utility belt. I mentally gave myself a pat on my back, and proceeded on my merry way. My knee length, brown colored, boots made soft "clacking" sounds against the poorly paved road. Even worse, it was starting to get hot now, like really hot. The sweat had already soaked through my cream colored, mid riff bearing, half-sleeved shirt. Even me legs felt super slimy, even though I was wearing black shorts that came up to my mid thighs. At least my hair wasn't that bad. I had mastered the art of crafting flawless pig tails years ago. But, the heat was a good sign. I was very near to my goal. I shuffled along until I came to a locked door. The door was huge! It had a vertical span of thirty feet, and a width of a good twenty feet. The said object was a pure, shiny, sliver. It was decorated with complex geometrical patterns of all kinds. The patterns were a sapphire blue. It was absolutely gorgeous. Mesmerized, I held up a hand to touch the intricate object. It felt very smooth, and solid, like marble. However, there was a slight indent in the centre. No, it was very conclave with a set site for an object, I am assuming. Luckily, Lord Death made sure I was prepared. I inserted a slim hand into my right pocked, and pulled out the tiny, fragile looking diamond. Even in dim light it glowed with an unearthly hue. The hue was mix of pure white, and a glittering silver. Without hesitation, I inserted the jewel into its substrate, and gaped with awe at what happened next. The enormous doors moved apart within a flash! No sound was made, at all! But, what lay beyond those doors was even more astonishing. Its beauty was beyond human comprehension. A tropical wind caressed my visage and the intoxicating aroma of those strange flowers I saw outside nearly overwhelmed me. Gigantic, evergreen trees stretched as far as the eyes could see. The sky donned a golden cloak which was lined with soft, milky clouds. But, the best of all was the temple. It christened the top of a mighty hill, and complemented the azure blue waterfall which leapt off the front of the cliff. I looked down, and saw a trail which led up to a staircase. The stair way had no railings, and was made out of lime stones. There were more steps here than DMWA's entrance! With determination set in stone, I sprinted to the staircase, and began my ascent. Each step was more taxing than the last, more sweat inducing, but definitely more sure, and rewarding. I finally made it to the top. The temple was simple, but elegant. It was like a monastery. There were no doors or guards. The architect glowed with a golden hue, the setting sun's rays softly danced off the structure, and gave it an ethereal glow. I watched the transformation take place with a look of absolute appreciation. A cool, gentle breeze, interbred with the alluring perfume of honey suckles, playfully tousled my long, ash blonde strands. I closed my eyes, and reveled in the ephemeral tranquility. Eden, Shangri-La, the fields of Elyse, and even Olympus itself were outshone by this heaven. Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end. I snapped out my reverie, and proceeded into the monastery. The insides were an astonishing unification of unadultered ivory, and glimmering, light, silver. There were no engravings on the flawless walls. Thus, there were no clues as to who or what may live or already have lived here. What a pity. I wonder if an entire civilization was here, or maybe just one lone person seeking enlightenment. Who built this temple? Why was it built? I was dying to know the answers. The mystery was just too tantalizing. Nonetheless, this enigmatic treasure trove held the key to my dear one's survival. The vital ingredient to completing the antidote most likely lay hidden in this temple's inner most sanctuary. I walked along until I came to a stone dais. It was two feet tall, made completely of black stones. It was shaped like a wash basin, but more flat at the top, no facets, and it had far less depth. There were no ancient symbols on it, but there was a sole clue on it, "adversary". Why it was English was beyond me. The inscriptions I saw earlier were all in some alien language. Just what was this place? As if the vexing entity read my thoughts, the walls harshly lit up with a blinding white light. I was momentarily blinded by the intensity, and hurriedly threw an arm over my eyes. I heard noises. The sounds of pencil on paper. I withdrew my arm, and slowly opened my eyes, testing the waters. The walls were cluttered with multiple words, all in different languages. Even more frightening, they all shared the same meaning, enemy. I scrutinized the vertical panels with more attention. What I realized was heart wrenchingly frightening. The languages were all human: Hindi, French, Japanese, Spanish, and so on. I think all the languages known to modern man were present here. The wind was knocked out of me. I backed up to the dais, and held onto t it for support. I drew seven breaths, and clamed myself down. I straightened my spine, and wearily approached one of the walls. This wall was saturated with twenty different languages. The words, all exquisitely recorded, glowed with an unearthly, viridian light. I raised a trembling hand, and made contact with the words. The reaction was instant. The chamber shook violently, and I feared if the roof would collapse, but my fears were for naught. The wall to my left started to divide in two opposite directions. After they were completely split, all the walls shone even brighter. Once the dust settled, I made my wav over to the new path that opened up. The split revealed an inner sanctuary, and a single, diamond crafted, dais. I sprinted over to the object. On it was a ruby colored vial, just like the color of his eyes. I grinned triumphantly, and picked up the lifesaving vial. I couldn't tell what its contents were. There were no sounds, it was feather light, but it definitely had to have a use. Why keep it locked up here otherwise? I was about to step outside the room when the doors slammed shut, and the enclosed area was plunged into a harsh, scarlet light. The sudden illumination brought out the hidden features of the room. Firstly, it was far bigger than I thought. It was big enough to house a ball dance. Secondly, there were statues lined up neatly on my left, and right sides. They were shaped like large sword wielding, gargoyles. Lastly, there was a forty feet tall statue. It was shaped like a bald human female, but with eight arms, and it had a threating pose. Each arm had a wicked looking sword. Its face was etched with painstaking accuracy. The expression relayed anguish, hatred, and blood thirst. Thank God that they were just statues. I meandered around trying to look for a way out of this bone chilling prison. After spending ten minutes of fruitlessly scavenging, I started to panic. My pace picked up speed, and soon I was sprinting from one end of the jail to the next. In my haste, I tripped over my own feet, and the precious vial along with me. I softened my fall with my left arm, and caught the vial with my right. Well, I caught it, but the vial was made of diamond and it had sharp edges, so I got a cut. A single drop of my blood fell onto the floor, and it started flowing towards the main statue! I was flabbergasted. The drop went under its feet, and vanished. Five seconds passed with no change. I heaved a sigh of relief, and with precaution, put the vial into my bag's safety pocket. No sooner than I was done, the ground rumbled once more, but this accompanied by a mangled roar. The statue had come to life, and it was glaring at me. I was its enemy, its adversary. Now I know what the writings on the walls truly meant. The monstrosity began shuffling its arms, and two legs. Next it rotated its shoulders, and began swinging around the swords with experimental flicks. How long has it been since its last awakening? I slowly started backing up towards the gargoyles, hoping to hide behind them. Hmm they had large mouths, big enough for me to fit into. I wonder if I could hide in it, but then again God knows what's in there. Too lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that I was only a few centimeters away from the gargoyle. I crashed into it, and sent it tumbling on the floor. The main statue zeroed in on me. Its artificial lips pulled back to reveal, very realistic, razor sharp fangs. I was rooted to my spot. The figure started to slowly crawl towards me, on eight sword bearing arms, two legs, and with an excruciatingly homicidal sneer. My feet finally resurrected, and I flipped backwards in a butterfly kick, hoping to put as much distance between us as possible in this cramped room. Seeing my reaction, it got excited and picked up the pace. I pulled out the dual pistols from my thigh holsters, and took my aim. Seeing my threatening stance, the grotesque she devil decided to take up arms too. She stood up to her full forty feet tall glory. I traced her height all the way to the top. She didn't even come close to touching the ceiling. Just how big was this room? I averted my gaze to the ceiling, and saw a small opening. My way out! A banshee's screech grappled my attention. The deviant, obviously mad at me for ignoring her, had pulled four of her arms back, and was aiming for my head with those deadly swords. I dove to my right for cover. The four blades implanted themselves into the ground half a second after I jumped. Frowning, I shoot back at her. She blocked the assault with the other remaining swords. I summersaulted out of my hiding spot, and continued to fire a volley of bullets. Again, they were deflected. Frustrated at the lack of results, I changed tactics. I charged right at the demon, dual pistols firing. Ten of my shots shot right through her right knee cap. Drunk with victory, I sprinted with all my might, slid in between her legs, and fired at her left knee cap, and the hamstring. The giantess fell forward on her knees, and swords slid well away from her grasp. I recovered, and spun on my heel to face her fallen from. Both my pistols were aimed at the base of her skull. Just when I was about to pull the triggers, the creature weakly held up a right hand and waved at me to stop. At a snail's pace she turned her head around. Her face was the personification of fear. She opened her mouth to utter her last words. A raspy voice rattled out, "Forgive me, Princess."

I opened my mouth to question her as to why she called me that, but the pained look in the creatures eyes instantly shut my mouth up. The being opened her mouth to talk once again, but was cut off by the resounding sound of a bullet being fired. She collapsed for the final time on the floor, leaving behind an ocean of pure red blood. I snapped my gaze, and leveled the pistols toward the interloper. "Maka, I truly apologize for startling you. However, we have to get out of here. The sun is setting, and I can't guarantee our safety after sun down." I sighed, and placed the pistols back into the holster. Death the Kid jumped off from Beelzebub, and gracefully walked over to my side, golden eyes alert. He held out a hand towards me, and gestured to the skate board. I nodded my understanding, and acceptance. He firmly gripped my hand, and guided me towards the skateboard. Both of us stepped onto it. Kid stood behind me, while my back was pinned right to his front. He held onto my shoulder, and the skate board took started levitating. In a few moments we were out of monastery, and were flying over the enchanted land. The sun was leisurely melting into the horizon. Its last few ember rays illuminating the sensational panorama once last time. It was just so otherworldly. I tipped my head back to look at Kid. The wind ruffled his jet black hair. The dying rays of the sun lit up the angular planes of his visage, and it gave his eyes a hunting glow. Kid glanced down at me, and gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze. Soul was going to be safe now. I had the antidote. Despite being intoxicated by triumph, I still wondered why the now dead demon warrior referred to me as "princess". Did hear it too? If he did, he didn't give any indications as to what his thoughts were about it. I pushed the troublesome thought away, and instead basked in my victory. Kid picked up speed, and within a matter of moments we were out of mystical land. Kid maneuvered skillfully, and soon we were out of the tomb all together. The ride back to Death City was absolutely silent. Neither of us said a word, but there was no awkward silence between us. The silence was actually enjoyable. We flew for at least another hour before finally landing at the academy's entrance. I hopped off, and Kid flew off again. I raced through the doors, and made my way up to the bathroom. Rapidly, I drew out the numbers, and contacted the Reaper. His cheerful face popped up a second later, and he joyfully proclaimed, "Maka! Kid told me you succeeded! Oh goody! Run off to the clinic now, the nurse will administer the antidote. Quick now, Soul is waiting!"

I waited no further. I took off to the nurse's office, and nearly broke down the door in order to get to the nurse. Nygus nearly jumped out of her skin when I came bursting in. I fished out the vial from the bag, and practically shoved it into her hands. Nygus understood my urgency, and began prepping the syringe up. I flinched a bit. Soul hated shots, but it had to be done. Efficiently, she injected the antidote into him, and discarded the needle. Fifteen minutes past, and no physical change took place. I started to panic, but Nygus's hand clamped onto my shoulder, and she gave me a smile. This was going to take a while. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice a long, elegant, and pale hand touching my head. I turned around, and was greeted by Tsubaki's warm, onyx eyes. She pulled me into a gentle embrace, and whispered soothing words to me. After two minutes she let me go. Someone was missing, it was too quite. Tusbaki noticed it too, and giggled. "Black Star is with Stein, make up lessons. Oh, and I nearly forgot. The Reaper asked me to tell you to go to him for your next assignment."

I thanked her, and made my way to the dean's office. As always, the sight never failed to amaze me. It was so childish! Up ahead, the Reaper was bouncing around, and talking to Kid, Liz, and Patty. The four saw me approaching. The Reaper bounced towards me, and grinned. He placed a huge hand on my back, and guided me towards the others. The three were patiently waiting too. "So, Kiddo, Liz, Patty, and Maka. You five have a mission. There has been a sort of spiritual disturbance going around lately. I want you to investigate the cause, and take care of it. You leave tomorrow evening."

"Honorable Father, just where are we going?"

At this the Grim Reaper flashed a thumbs up, and said, "Italy, Venice."


End file.
